curtain calls
by golf on sunday
Summary: "As if on cue, the vivid blue caps took flight into the auditorium air with a dazzling movement of the hand; the brilliant second when all were airborne. And for one spectacular moment, five special caps hovered in the air; stayed, and five sets of eyes locked in remembrance of what had been and what would be." / The hardest thing was taking their final curtain calls together. /
1. Curtain Calls

**A/N:** _Heya, and a very grand welcome to Curtain Calls! I apologize for the slightly awkward title, I had a bit of a blockade when it came to naming this one..._

_I was sort-of inspired for this by the song 100 Suns by 30 Seconds to Mars. It's a beautiful song; if you've never heard it, you need to listen to it ASAP. It's rather short and a bit repetitive, but it still is lovely nonetheless. A friend of mine played if for me recently, and since then I've been obssessed on learning the chords for it on my guitar._

_I've been contemplating on the idea for the plot of a one-shot for the Wasabi Warriors graduating for awhile now, and I decided to give it a go with this. I rather quite like how it turned out overall, and I hope that you all will be pleased with it too._

_Please enjoy Curtain Calls._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own Kickin It or any other copyrighted brands mentioned._

**Copyright © 2013 in-between-shades.**

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_"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but- I hope- into a better shape."_

_- Charles Dickens_

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**Curtain Calls**

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The freshly waxed linoleum floors gleamed with the sheen of pride and perspiration. Strobe lights flashed weakly in blue and red, giving the students on stage strange patriotic facial colours as they paced in anticipation, the sweat on their face evident from the broken A.C that had yet to be fixed. Parents filled the seats and were excitedly pointing out children out on stage, much to the chagrin of many students. In the far right corner of the room, the DJ was poorly attempting to mix a rock track with something that sounded vaguely like dub-step on an endless loop.

Needless to say, the words and lyrics of the massacred song came out as garbled peeps when played alongside the infamous duo of _Daft Punk_.

Hundreds of students were scattered across the cheap imitation wood stage, diplomas clutched tightly in hand, tassels yet to be moved; all in matching blue cap and gowns- all waiting for the last moment before they were finally considered done. For some of them it was a phase that had yet to be passed, and for others it was a sign and symbol of accomplishment. Excited murmurs were rippling through the crowd like an infectious wave as whispers passed through. Parents were giddily showing off baby photos of the graduates, and siblings of those who were on stage where snapping gum in a bored fashion in dark corners unseen to most.

And in the dark and small public school auditorium, it seemed hard to believe that it was truly almost finished.

Over.

Completed.

Some students were milling around casually, sipping multi-coloured soft drinks from white styrofoam cups while they waited in the roaring noise of the teachers and parents speaking, taking break from the sweltering lights of the stage strobe lights. Some others had their beady eyes glued to their phones, the rest of the world completely blocked to say, some were too far and brainwashed for repair. Some of them had mile wide grins on their faces, such as the black-haired latino with bright dark eyes and metallic red laced sneakers, currently whooping from joy at the elation that he had actually passed high-school, and didn't have to repeat it. It seemed so surreal that he was standing on the stage with his friends; and not because he got called up to be reprimanded in front of the parents.

Everyone thought that he had bribed someone to get to that point.

Which was probably true, and even the other four Warriors had thought that. Jerry had used some... _Information _to gain leverage on the last three points that he had needed in requirements for graduation. What the leverage was; they never knew. But throughout the years that they'd known him, Jerry did indeed have rare lucid moments of ingenuity. And still, the happy-go-lucky latino with the bright eyes and dark hair had never changed one bit.

His thick and bushy eyebrows were pushed all the way into the top of his forehead, so that they almost completely disappeared underneath his hair; still in utter disbelief that he actually had managed to make the graduating class with the rest of his friends. The hood from his jacket peeked out slightly from his gown, but me made no movement or acknowledgement of it in any case. He was speaking in fast streams of Spanish and English, alternating between the two in his emotion, his hands waving helplessly, flustered around his face. The soles of his shoes were all but worn out from all the jumping he had done on stage; much to the despair of the teachers.

"I just can't believe it! This is... Aw, man this is just... _Sick! _Not like, sick, sick, but like, cool sick, you know what I mean? What do I mean? I mean, I knew that I graduated since I got the letter that I would be in the ceremony, but... _Estoy__-"_

"Jerry, are you... Crying?"

The prankster looked up, and hurriedly wiped the salty tears starting to form puddles in the dark brown eyes with the back of his hand, the leaky waterworks already starting to stream hot and fast as he leaned to the side and tried to play it cool. "No! What makes you think that, Eddie? Pshh, no. I just... I just got allergies, that's all." He tilted his head to the side for a moment, and then continued to sniffle weakly. "Really, really, really bad allergies. If you hear something coming from the boys' bathroom after school, it probably was the leaky drainage pipe." His voice had a strange lilt at the end as he buried his face in the crook of his left elbow. The olive skinned african-american shot an odd look at the tearful teen, but said nothing.

At eighteen, Eddie was still the short and rather fat kid of the group. Yet strangely enough, it had never bothered him. Not once had he ever let a comment about his looks or weight get in the way of how he saw things, and he never tolerated bullying about it either. He had never considered diets, because it seemed like an unimaginable idea to live on a glass of water and three almonds a day, and he never worked out a great deal, like Jack and Kim did. He was fine with his obtuse figure, and rather proud of it.

From his left, the pale and slightly freckled ginger dressed impeccably in his starched gown and rather orthopedic nursing shoes interjected rather sternly, his high voice never wavering. It seemed like out of the group of them, the timid redhead was the least impacted by puberty. "It's _have, _Jerry. I just _have _allergies, not I just _got _allergies." He let a small smirk cross his face, crossing his thin arms in contentment, and put the weight on his left foot before remembering that his orthopedist had reminded him to have even balance. His ankle joints were becoming a pain to maintain.

"And I should care... Because-?"

Milton sighed gut-wrenchingly. "-Because no one is going to hire you if you keep on using those atrocious contractions and grammar, Jerry. 'Got' refers to the past tense. Also, try not to use double negatives in one sentence. For example, _I don't got no money_," he paused, shivering at the phrasing, "Means that you do have money. So... Just try and think before saying, maybe?"

Jerry simply looked him, one impossibly high eyebrow somehow raising higher, the eyelids stretched out to the point of no return. He grinned lopsidedly, the smirk quirking ever so slightly. "Who cares, bro, about grammar or _double negatives_? This isn't school class right now! We're about to graduate; loosen up! I ain't got no time for that!"

The thin and bright red-haired boy grimaced slightly. "Are you doing that just to annoy me? Because you have got a lot of work to do, my friend."

Jerry acted as if he hadn't heard a word that Milton had said, and continued to ramble on. "I'm finished; done! I'm not gonna do any work from here! _Zip! _I think I'mma go buy a Harley or something and hit the road! Or maybe a Ferrari, and then pick up a few chicks with se-"

Kim cut him off with the raise of a small hand. "And just _how _are you expecting to pay for all of those things, again?" The blonde piped up strategically, looking up inquisitively at him before patting her head to make sure that her light hair was still tucked neatly in an intricate bun. Unbeknownst upon the other four, Kim took special pride in her hair that particular day. The honey-stalk wheat was twisted into two tiny braids in the front, both of them clipped back near the crown of her head. The rest was loosely curled and bobby-pinned into a soft hair-do that sprang free around the heart-shaped face, pinned back with a bejeweled hair piece.

That hair-do was almost ruined when the tall and muscular brunet next to her lifted a fascinated hand to her hair for a closer look.

She swatted Jack's hand away before any damage could be done, and patted a loose flyaway back into place near the crown once again. After doing a quick check in the screen of her iPhone, she turned towards the boy; ready to scold as if a complacent child. "Hands off, Jack! It took me _three hours _just to get it like this, okay? I just need it to last for the rest of the ceremony, but I _need _to look good in the last photo. Seriously."

Jack tilted his head, bemused. Laughter came out like the tinkling of bells, the laugh spreading quickly so that his whole body shook with it in jingles. "Wow, Kim, I never thought that you cared _that _much about how you look. I mean, I know it takes hours for you to look half decent, but I didn't think it went that far!"

"Seriously. I will hurt you."

"Oooooh! I'm _so _scared? What'cha gonna do?" Jack purposely pitched his voice higher than usually, squeaking into his best friend's ear, "Stab me with your mystical diamond bobby-pin? Or stare me down to death? I'm shivering and trembling, Kim. Absolutely horrified."

With the careless flip of her hand, Kim ignored the pestering brunet and continued to speak, sending him a brief eye-roll before continuing. "Anyways-"

"It's anyway, not anyway."

"_Anyway_." She remarked, as if to punctuate every word, "It's not like you are so perfect, Jack. I can and I _will _hurt you." Kim said each syllable very slowly, as if speaking to a slow child rather than a more-than-able-bodied eighteen year old.

"When pigs fly."

There was a momentary pause before the sound of a rather harsh slap echoed throughout the stage and resonated deeply, followed by a high-pitched squeal that had not come from the girl. A few students around them looked up at them from their stupor to glance briefly at what the sound had initially emitted from, but continued chatting when they noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Just a dark-haired teen clutching his left arm in pain and letting out rather dramatized whimpers of hurt.

"Can you _please _lay off the punches, Kim? C'mon, I do not want to be drowsy on pain-killers during the after party." His response was left woefully unanswered, earning only a scoff and the slit of an eye.

Milton rolled his eyes at his friend's obscenity. How could they behave like such little toddlers during such an important event? It seemed like they all treated it as such a trivial event, except for him. "Anyways, back to the subject, please? I'm actually very intrigued, Jerry. How do you plan to pay for a Harley and a Ferrari?"

Jerry scratched the back of his head absent mindedly, the scrunched look on his face evident that he was currently deep in thought, contemplating the question at hand. His lips were pursed together on the left side, and his eyebrows were now hanging lowly and very close together, scrunched up so that there was a small line in between them. After a moment, he simply shrugged and lifted his hands up to his shoulders in a small gesture that spoke volumes of thoughtlessness. He bit his lip, concentrating. "I dunno. I guess I never really though about that part..."

Milton threw him a knowing smirk, his hand raising to wave a condescending pointer-finger in Jerry's face. "See? Instead of stopping at high-school, I think you should pursue the possibility of possibly going to college and getting a bachelor's degree. And, before you ask- because I know you will, Jerry- a bachelor's degree is not something you get on the day before our wedding at your bachelor's party; it's a degree you receive for graduating and meeting all the qualifications of college. You see, studies actually show that-"

Eddie interrupted strategically before his speech turned into a full-out rant. If there was one thing that Eddie was good at, it was predicting and ending most of Milton's educational speeches on the wonders of school. And if he had it his way, it should have been an Olympic sport. One did not just cut Milton off without having a back-up plan. Geeks on a rage were not cool. And one angry Milton was something that most people would not want to encounter. It wasn't his physical capabilities to harm someone, per say, it was the fact that he tended to rip off his shirt during rage attacks, and one would most likely go blind after a glimpse of Milton's bare chest. It was so hairless and pale and waxed and thin and bony and... It was best not to dwell on the subject if he wanted to keep his turkey-and-swiss sandwich on rye down. "Yeah, I guess I kinda agree. I mean, didn't you get accepted into _one _college, Jer?"

"Yeah, I got accepted into the District Seaford-County College."

Milton let out a small strangled croak of laughter, clutching his stomach as if it was going to burst from the unspoken and unknown humour of Jerry's response to Eddie's question. The rest of the group looked on in confusion as he doubled over; hands clutched tightly to his stomach. Jack's eyes darted uncomfortably around the packed stage.

"Dude, get your act together. Even the wierd parents are looking. And I'm talking the seriously _weird _ones."

He made a gesture to stop laughing, and eventually smothered the laughter beneath his chest as he struggled to speak."You got into that, Jerry? Everyone gets into Seaford-County! I mean, I heard that a hobo once turned it down because there weren't enough opportunities."

There was a brief moment before the ginger's words finally registered. The pasty boy's eyes widened to the size of medium sized dinner plates, and a warm coral blush rose to his cheeks. The heat that gushed almost made his face look the same color as the pastel ginger of his hair. "Not that I meant it like that, though! I mean, hey, why not? Go County colleges!" He let out a fake whoop and lifted his arm to punch the air before letting it drop back to his side weakly.

"Ow."

Jerry shrugged once again, "Hey, I'm down with that! If there are hoboes, let's go piling in the trash! .. No? No one? Okay then..." No one laughed, because, quite honestly, no one but the one with the truly twisted mind could understand the nuance behind the words. Except for Jerry, of course. Always Jerry. Only Jerry.

Jack patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly, smiling apologetically. "It's not that bad, Jerry! I think you should at least consider it. I mean, not everyone gets accepted into Yale, okay?" The brunet shot a terse glare at Milton, who beamed at the accomplishment and hurriedly unraveled his diploma just to read it again. The light eyes scanned over the parchment as he almost exploded from pride. "So... proud!"

There was a time in his rather dark junior years when he had grown tired of being labeled as a geek. As the goody-two-shoes. As the one who would drop on his knees and scrape the bathrooms for an extra credit A in a class he already had a 4.0 in. _A nerd. _And he had tried to change, because it had seemed like the only option. He greased back his hair into swirls, started to use improper contractions, and his grades plummeted through the floor. And for the brief two-week phase that he had gone through, he felt like for once people had looked at him as more than a walking dictionary, as someone who could be talked to casually without the furtive glances to see if anyone was watching. But then the consequences settled in, and his english teacher had finally knocked some sense back into him when he was notified that he had a C- in his A.P. English class. Only then did reality settle in, and for the first time in years, he didn't feel like he belonged, because he knew that he never would, but he felt comfortable.

And quite frankly, he was glad that he was done with the whole _bad boy _facade. The leather had been heavy and hot, and as a vegetarian, Julie had been appalled by his change of attitude and clothing.

There was a lapse before Eddie spoke again. "Just look at all of us! Milton, you're going to Yale. Kim, you're going to Duke! Jack, you're going to Otai on _another _scholarship," he paused for a moment, smiling. The sides of his eyes crinkled slightly. "We're so... Cool! I was gonna use 'swasome', but I'm getting the vibe that it would be stealing Jerry's words."

"Not cool man, not cool."

A laugh rang through all of them, the brief moment of carefree childhood cloaked before an eery silence washed over them like a bucket of icy cold water, the shivers all but evident when Eddie's words finally registered in all their heads. Five friends, five _different _colleges. And perhaps at that moment it had dawned upon all of them how close they all were from departing and moving on, and that the Wasabi Warriors would soon be no more; nothing but a wistful memory and a brief phase in their teenage years. Nothing but something to look on and smile nostalgically at.

The five of them stood awkwardly, huddled in their own little circle, as if to protect themselves from what was outside. The lyrics of the song played in the background, soft and quiet. It whispered over them fluidly, and added more to the sensation that the temperature had suddenly taken a nosedive to the sub-zero degrees in the previously sweltering box.

_I believe in nothing, not the end and not the start. I believe in nothing, not the earth and not the stars._

Jack was the first one to break the silence, a confused and worried expression on his face. The crinkled eyebrows and cloudy sorrowful eyes made it clear of his next words. "We- We'll all stay in touch, right? Get together on holidays and other times? I mean- c'mon, we're the Wasabi Warriors!" But his statement lacked conviction and vigor. "We don't need to go to the same school just to be the Wasabi Warriors. I know that we always will be. We'll always have each other, right?" His worries mirrored all of theirs, and for the first time, there was no stupid, funny, rhetorical, or smart answer to his questions. There wasn't a creative loophole around. Even the future Yale-alumni did not know how to respond.

"Sure." Kim answered comfortingly, running her hand up his arm in a small attempt to cheer him up. He gave her a small smile in return, but the expression didn't quite reach his eyes. A small dimple flashed near the corner of his mouth; a tiny crease from the lift of the grin. Yet even that didn't prove that the message had quite gotten through to him.

Kim looked up at him, craning her neck. During their teen years, all of the boys; including the still rather plump Eddie, had grown considerably. When she had first met them, she could fit Jerry and Eddie under the crook of her armpit, although she never took up to it. Even Milton had finally "bloomed", although at ninety-six pounds he still was the willowy and stick-thin figure she had grown to know.

Yet Jack, who had started out as a small pint-sized kid with a mop of shaggy hair and a devilish smirk, and shot up the most considerably. It seemed hard to believe that the small rugged skater she had met half a decade ago was the same person as the tall and muscular brunet standing next to her. At a conservative five-foot-three, Jack had almost a full foot on her. And all the time she'd watch them all grow up, she had never seen the kind of sorrow in his face as evident as it was at that moment. Even when he had almost left for Otai in Japan, and when he'd thought that it would be the last time he would see them.

Letting out a small sigh of morose sadness at the boy currently adorning a rather small hand-dog expression, the blonde reached up and snaked her arms around the brunet's neck, patting him on his upper back and a small portion between his shoulder blades as she did so; whispering a few words of encouragement into his ear. Milton, Eddie, and Jerry's eyes bulged out of their sockets as Jack visibly relaxed and wrapped his arms around the petite girl's waist, pressing a soft kiss lightly to the top of her head.

_I believe in nothing, not the day and not the dark._

The moment, however, was broken by the sharp wolf-whistle of a certain pranking meddler. He stuck two fingers into his mouth and blew sharply, creating a fluctuating sound that surely got almost everyone's attention in the west wing of the stage.

"Whooo! I knew it! I just _knew _it!" Jerry whooped out in glee. "I knew this day would come- You owe Eddie and me five dollars, Milton!"

Resigned, Milton reached into the pockets of his pants under his gown and pulled out two crisp five dollar bills, slapping it into the outstretched palm of the two hands, before sniffing in an act of arrogance. The two carbon-copied faces of Abraham Lincoln now looked up at the boys staring at awe from the newfound cash, the unfinished alien pyramid staring at two sweaty and trembling palms. "One of the only smart investments you've ever made, Jerry," he grumbled, his jaw locking. The ginger was still muttering under his breath as Jerry brought the bill to his nose and sniffed deeply, his eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head as he did so. "Money money money money money money! Yes, come to papa!"

Kim raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, leaning on one leg in a defiant act. She cocked her head slightly to the left, and the boys all made an unconscious effort to expand on the distance. Her eyes were ablaze with fury and something that looked like restrained laughter and mock. "Anyone want to tell me what that-" she pointed to the five dollar bills that Jerry and Eddie were holding proudly up to the light to examine, "-was all about?"

Jerry piped up, "Well, you see, there was this godzilla-like creature that attacked the dojo on... Satunmonday... And we needed a fund-raiser so Milton-"

Jack interrupted, and grabbed the front of Jerry's robe. The material bunched in his hand as he brought him close to his face, "_Jerry! _The truth! There is no such day as Satunmonday, okay? What. Was. That. All. About?"

Eddie rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, his skin flushing slightly. "We might have- might have! Maybe made a bet on you and Jack? Don't kill us!"

Jack turned his attention to the cowering african-american. "What? What do you guys even mean?!" The brunet stared accusingly at the three, making them shift uncomfortably in their standing positions. His moved his head forward, as if to make sure that he had hear the last sentence correctly. Jerry bit his lip uncertainly, letting out a series of mumbled squeaks while the other two looked on, wide-eyed as a doe caught in headlights. No one wanted to be the first to break the silence, and no one certainly wanted to know what would happen when someone eventually did. Eddie, Jerry, and Milton all quivered in fear, trembling.

"Well, you guys were all, _kiss kiss, hug hug, I love you soooo much! _Well, at least, that's how it looked like."

Surprisingly, the quickly uttered words had not come from Jerry, as they would expect, but rather Milton, who looked on with wide eyes and a smile that didn't quite match the pale complexion of his suddenly bloodless cheeks.

Jack shoved a hand through his dark tangle of hair, pushing it back and away from his eyes. "Yes, so I hug someone, and we are automatically involved? Dude, I've hugged Rudy a bunch of times! Like, practically every single day after practice, before I leave! Does that mean that we're in a relationship?" He continued speaking before Jerry could interrupt, knowing the humorous comment that would most likely come spilling out. "-Not in the mood, Jerry!"

"Well, it certainly looked like it." Milton muttered under his breath. He fidgeted again, although this time it was not so much out of fear and the lack of conformity as so much as to fumble with the cheap polyester material of the blue gown. He scratched his arms absent mindedly, and wished desperately for his hypoallergenic argyle sweater as his nose started to itch. Three more hours in the crappy public school gowns and he'd start breaking out in hives, which would probably cause him to start sweating in obscure amounts, and then make him start coughing because of the insane heat, and after that his asthma would probably act up again, but of course you couldn't forget that his dad would have to rush to the pharmacy to get an inhaler, which they probably would have just sold the last one to a lady walking out three minutes earlier, and then he would have to go to the hospital because of-

Maybe he was better off to not think about it at all.

Jerry smiled, unaware of the tornado whirlwind of thoughts going on in his best nerd friend's mind. Well, his _only _nerd friend's mind, but that certainly was not the point to be reached. "Yeah! We even have a couple name for you! Check it... _Jam! _Get it? Jack, Kim? Jam?" He grinned, proud of his accomplishment. "C'mon, you know you like it! You know you-"

Eddie slapped him lightly on his forearm, interrupting the hyper ape mid-sentence. "Dude, I though that we said it was Kick?"

"What?"

"Yeah?"

"No dude, I'm sure it was Jam."

"No, it was Kick!"

"Uh, no! It was Jam!

"I know I'm right."

"Everyone knows Jack and Kim make Jam together when they get it on!"

"Umm... That sounded wrong, Jerry. Just plain wrong."

"Not now, in the middle of a very important conversation, Milton!"

"Touche."

"See?"

"Yeah, well, Jack and Kim also make Kick!"

"So? What makes Kick special?"

" And Kick deals with karate, which they both do!"

"True, true..."

Jack groaned, deflated. "Listen, as fascinating as it is to watch you guys fumble over smushing Kim and mine's names together, the last ceremony's going to be soon, so you guys better cut that out before I have to deck you on stage." Jack threatened between his teeth before starting to slip his phone back into his back pocket. The menacing glower on his face made it clear that he did not want to pursue the conversation at hand.

Jerry, struck with a rare wave of inspiration, flailed out his arms and neatly snatched Jack's phone out of his grasp before he could put it away. "Hey!" The taller brunet exclaimed with a startled yell. Jerry simply ignored him and proceeded to scan through the plethora of texts quickly, mumbling under his breath quietly, "I'm sure you texted Kim something on here." Jack was silently fuming, but he made no attempt to regain his phone again. He knew well enough to deem it useless. At his senior graduation, he certainly didn't want to be the one to stop the show by beating up his best friend in front of some seven-hundred parents.

"You can look all you want in my phone, Jerry, you're not gonna find anything!"

"_Score!" _Jerry looked up, a devilish look in his eyes. For one moment, Jack felt a sense of dread and fear curdling like a snake in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't texted anything accusing, right? Absolutely nothing. Of course, there was that one text that Kim had sent him afer- Nope. He'd deleted it. Safe. Sound. Gone from prying eyes. _Nada. _His phone was good, right? It was safe? There was nothing to worry about? ...Why was he asking all these questions? It wasn't as if he had anything to hide. Jerry's voice cut into his thoughts. "Nothing to find, huh, Jack? Then who sent you this text saying _'I love you, xox'_?"

Jack's eyes slitted in amusement and in partial relief, although he was careful to not let the latter emotion show through on his face. "Jerry, that was my mom," he deadpanned, shaking his head in utter disbelief. He shook his head, frustrated and hysterical, at the wide-eyed boy in front of him with a guilty look on his face. "Right, knew that. Totally did."

_I believe in nothing except the beating of our hearts._

And in the thirty seconds, the humour had vanished again, leaving them with that unfamiliar feeling of emptiness. The feeling that it was over. In the matter of two hours, they had gone from high-school reject seniors to almost-graduates. Had gone from best-friends to distant ones. Had gone from together to apart.

And of course it was Jack that pulled them all together into a hug, the one that always had been unanimously deemed as the leader for many outstanding reasons that they wouldn't repeat. Through the times that they had known each other, they were forced to admit that they sometimes had envied the perfect hero-complex that glowed like a freaking halo around his head all the time. It was shrouded with hideous jealousy that they all had never wanted to confess to, but eventually accepted.

Of course, there were those times right whenever Jack won against the bad guy that Milton, Eddie, Jerry, and even occasionally Kim thought, "Man, what if I could have done that?". Like the time when he had single-handedly saved the prince of Hakmahkistan from the Phil imposter, or the time that he had saved Bobby from being assassinated by the Black Belt Widow, or when he had taken out four Black Dragons on his first day of school without so much as breaking a sweat. They knew that it was just a part of him, embedded as deeply under the skin as possible, but the four of them still had lucid moments when they would be hailed as the hero for once. Despite it all, though, they knew him well enough to know that not everything was perfect in his life. Even Jack Brewer had his own personal demons to deal with, and there were quite a few that didn't go away as soon as he won the shiny "game over" badge from the arcade.

The five of them huddled even closer, their arms all around each other as Jack spoke. And when he spoke, it was as if he was speaking for all of them. Metaphorically, of course. No one wanted to speak for Jerry. God knew what was going on in his brain.

"Listen, you guys have been the best friends I could ever have. Seriously. And, we're not leaving right away! We have the whole summer ahead of us before we have to go to college. So promise me that we'll stay in touch no matter what, and that we'll always have each other's backs. I don't know what I'd do without you guys; it's been an amazing five years of my life to be your friend... And, I love you guys."

_I believe in nothing, one hundred suns until we part._

The five of them were able to share one last hug before the principle came on stage, microphone in hand, as he took the podium. No one by Jerry knew that there was a bucket of earthworms inside of the principle's car, and how surprised he would be when he stepped in the gas pedal. He laughed to himself, and then quickly clamped his hand over his mouth in order to suppress it. He didn't want to ruin the surprise.

As he took the stage, the rest of the students took as signal to get in their positions. They quietly filed into places on stage, a few of them stopping midway to whisper "hi mom" to the crowd and making duck-faces towards the onslaught of ready cameras. One tripped, and someone else helped him up. Within three minutes, they were all in their designated alphabetical orders; with Jack standing next to Kim and the rest of the Warriors scattered.

His voice boomed out, the strange eighth-octave pitched tone never changing. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 2015 Seaford High School Graduating Class!" The principle swung his hand out behind him, nearly hitting an unassuming student in the face before he could retaliate. In a movement they had practiced many times, the entire senior class moved their tassels to the other sides in an orchestrated pattern, and they all waited for the last word before they could throw their caps up in the air.

_I believe in nothing, except the truth in who we are._

"Congratulations."

As if on cue, the vivid dark blue caps took flight into the auditorium air with a dazzling movement of the hand; the brilliant second when all were airborne. And for one spectacular moment, five special caps hovered in the air; stayed, and five sets of eyes locked in remembrance of what had been and what would be.

The curtain came down.

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_nihil aeternaliter perstat  
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**A/N:** _Well, I hope you enjoyed Curtain Calls! I had a blast writing this, and I hope that you guys liked it as much as I loved to write it for you guys. _

_That last phrase that I added at the end, "nihil aeternaliter perstat", is a Latin phrase. It literally translates to "nothing stays forever", and I thought that it tied into the storyline beautifully. I wanted to show the aspects of the Wasabi Warriors growing up and moving apart, so I decided to have a nuance closure-sentence in Latin; because nothing does stay._

_Happy Season 3 of Kickin' It everyone; I can't believe that it's already here! Who else loved Spyfall?_

_So, with that, please remember to subscribe, favourite, follow, and of course... Review, I'd love to hear what you guys thought of it!_

_Lots of love!_

_- Alexi :)_


	2. Obtusely Cowish Thunder Thighs

**A/N:** _Originally, I was going to leave this as a one-shot, but I just couldn't help following up on an idea proposed in a review by Sienna (rocks at my window). __So, three cheers for you, gal!_

_This takes place pre- Curtain Calls, and goes into a bit of further detail about the texts between Jack and Kim that I mentioned briefly near the end of the one shot. Happy reading! _

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own, or profit from, Disney XD's Kickin' It & Benjamin Hoff's "The Tao of Pooh" or any other brands mentioned therein. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

**Curtain Calls**

**II**

**:.:.:.:.:**

**Obtusely Cowish Thunder Thighs**

**:.:.:.:.:**

_"I think we all know how largely egotistical, how utterly vain— how inconceivably obtuse you are."_

_"Obtuse? Egotistical; yes. Vain; maybe. But obtuse? Never obtuse. And why should I be called obtuse unless you think that I don't understand some carefully hidden nuance of yours in those long words you string together that you want me so desperately to understand? Why, does someone want me to be more __attentative; perhaps a little more... Emotional towards certain people, per say?"_

_"..."_

_"I thought not. Jerry is obtuse. Eddie is obtuse. Rudy is obtuse. Winnie the Pooh is obtuse. But me? I understand everything you're saying; even the times that you don't want me to. The only difference is; I don't show my cards before I know yours."_

_"..."_

_"Has the little yellow bear gotten your tongue too? Besides, you didn't really believe that I thought that bracelet you gave me was a friendship bracelet; did you?"_

**:.:.:.:.:**

* * *

The beady little eyes bore into hers unnervingly.

"Hello? Anybody here?"

The blonde snapped out of her stupor briefly to glance up at the brunet that stood at the other side of the dojo, his feet planted on the cracking wood, and waved her hand quickly to him before returning her eyes to glare into the small, glittering black ones opposite of her. "Nothing," she replied quickly, "I need a minute to be done with... _Him._" She jerked a thumb towards the round head as she tightened her grip.

Jack, amused, crossed the room in three long strides. A smile, slow and languid, crossed his face as he looked at the poor victim clutched in his friend's iron grip, the passive eyes guileless. With a quick look of humored pity, he remarked dryly, "You might want to loosen your grip on him. He's starting to get... Wrinkles." Jack stared at the face passively for a moment before looking at the girl.

She sighed heavily, resigned, and let go with one heavy plop. The person, however, made no noise as it was let down and hit the floor loudly with a resounding smack of the mats.

Perhaps it was because it wasn't a _person, _to be specific. It wasn't living; in the sense that it moved or breathed or made noises. It wasn't even all that three dimensional; if you wanted to get very technical. It was just one hundred and eighty pages or so, bound together by a red binding, and printed with fields of words in black ink running in endless lines across the pages.

And on the very front were the little dark eyes that belonged to none other than Edward Bear.

"Care to tell me why you were strangling the life out of a poor, innocent, children's character on a book cover? Disney Junior would not approve," he said condescendingly, pointed a stern finger down. But the scowl on his lips quivered as he fought the urge to smile and laugh at her expression.

She gave him a withering look and picked up the novel that lay forgotten on the floor. "I was _trying _to get inspiration," she grumbled under her breath, and stuffed the book into her nearby backpack with a quick flick of the wrist. "Some of our teachers actually give us English homework to do. _Some _of us aren't as lucky as a certain person who just so happens to have all the carefree teachers. Some of us actually have to work to get good grades. So sue me for being pissed, Brewer."

He gave a low whistle and crossed his arms over his chest casually, "Alright then, little miss PMS." He raised his hands to cover his skull as she sent a deafening blow aimed towards his face. When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a very close, and a _very _red face that glared into his eyes darkly. Despite himself, he started to laugh.

And she laughed too.

It wasn't the usual loud and rip-roaring laughter though. It was the I-won't-give-you-the-satisfaction-of-me-giving-in _but _I-really-have-to-laugh-so-really-this- is-all-your-fault kind of laugh. It was the kind of laugh where she closed her jaw firmly and pressed her lips together, but eventually the laughter wouldn't trickle down back to where it was supposed to and instead it started coming out in between the cracks of her lips, which naturally made her bite her tongue and nearly cut a gash into the inside of her cheek. The resulting expression was something of constipation and anger; nose scrunched up, eyebrows pressed together, cheeks bursting with helium, and mouth puckered shut.

Which really just made him laugh even harder.

Fed up, Kim slung her backpack on, and, with a loud grunt, marched out of the dojo doors, leaving the brunet still in a fit of _manly _giggles near the trophy wall. "C'mon, Kim!" He called out after her with a quick yell, and strode to the double doors to catch up; his eyes watering with tears of laughter. He stuck his head out into the courtyard, where he could just barely see her retreating figure. "It was a joke! Have a little fun!"

But she did laugh.

She laughed all the way back home.

**:.:.:.:.:**

To: Jack B.  
6:32 P.M.  
**Dead meat. That's wat you are Brewer. Dead meat.**

To: Kim C.  
6:32 P.M.  
**You might've spelled "wat" wrong. Just saying..**

To: Jack B.  
6:34 P.M.  
**Who cares? no one spells right in txting.**

To: Kim C.  
6:34 P.M.  
**I do.**

To: Jack B.  
6:34 P.M.  
**Becuase your a wierdo, Brewer.**

To: Kim C.  
6:35 P.M.  
**What, you're not even going to bother with saying my first name now?**

To: Kim C.  
6:36 P.M.  
**Hello?**

To: Kim C.  
6:37 P.M.**  
********Hello?**

To: Kim C.  
6:37 P.M.**********  
********Anyone?!**

To: Kim C.  
6:38 P.M.******************  
********Heelllllooooooooooooo?**

To: Kim C.  
6:38 P.M.******************************************  
**Pickle juice. Pineapple sauce. My hair is on fire. Dragons and unicorns.

To: Kim C.  
6:38 P.M.******************************************************  
**ANYTHING?

To: Kim C.  
6:40 P.M.******************************************************************  
**'Ello? You know, I'm killing my data plan right now...

To: Kim C.  
6:42 P.M.******************************************************************************************************************************  
**Alright then... * slinks off into corner *

To: Kim C.  
7:12 P.M.  
**TALK TO MEE! I'M BORED!**

To: Kim C.  
7:13 P.M.**********************************************************************  
**If I do the homework assignment with Winnie the Pooh in it; will you talk to me again?

To: Jack B.  
7:15 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************  
**I'm listening.

To: Kim C.  
7:15 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**OH! SO NOW YOU ANSWER ME, WOMAN? WHEN I BRIBE YOU?! I SEE HOW IT IS! THIS FRIENDSHIP IS OVER!

To: Jack B.  
7:16 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**Alright then. Cool.

To: Kim C.  
8:17 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**I didn't actually mean it... HEY, YOU GOT SPELL CHECK ON YOUR PHONE! Yay!

To: Jack B.  
7:17 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Yes I did. Now, are you going to do my homework for me or not? Because if not, then I have a lot of other stuff to do other than talk to you...**

To: Kim C.  
7:18 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**Eh, fine. Whatever it takes. What is your homework assignment anyway?

To: Jack B.  
7:19 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**one minute. i'll dig up the instructions and tell you. 

To: Jack B.  
7:22 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**Write a three page essay on the topic of the book "The Tao of Pooh", by Benjamin Hoff. Taoism is a philosophy that was developed in ancient China, and yet the author of The Tao of Pooh is a modern advocate of its teachings. To what degree do you accept or reject the major principles of Taoism? Identify these major principles with the following questions below:

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************1) What is the significance of the painting Hoff describes named The Vinegar Tasters? **

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************2) What is the theme of life according to Hoff's interpretation of Taoism?**

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************3) What was the main conflict between the Confucianists and Taoists according to Hoff?**

**4) Which of Milne's characters represent Confucianists and Taoists according to Hoff?**

To: Kim C.  
7:23 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************WHU-?! o.o**

To: Kim C.  
7:23 P.M.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**Alright then! My mom's calling me for dinner. You can just e-mail me the draft later on. Bye!

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:.:.:.:.:**

Jack sat slumped at his desk, eyeing the essay prompt on his phone's screen warily. As a requirement, he had read "The Tao of Pooh" for tenth grade. But the difference was; his teacher had given him word searches and crossword puzzles to complete. Crossword puzzles. Very simple, and _uncomplicated._

He wasn't exactly a whiz in philosophy, thank you very much. But he did score better than Kim on most tests; mainly to her chagrin, so he figured that maybe, just maybe, she actually needed his help. And he was happy to help.

But maybe not that _happy _to _help_. Three pages worth of help.

Much to his downfall, it wasn't as if he had much of an option on Kim's apology. She held grudges for a remarkably long time. Longer than his depressed sixth grade music teacher; and that was saying something. She had once gone two and a half weeks without saying a word to him, not so much as a single "hi" or "how are you?" or "I hate you"; all because he had refused to pass her the T.V. remote on movie night and refill her bowl of popcorn.

Jack glanced at the blank compute screen, sighed, and then rested his forehead on the cool surface of his oak desk, hands outstretched. Maybe he should've just said no. That was the smart thing to do. The logical thing to do.

Unfortunately, he was afraid that he wasn't too logical when it came to Kim Crawford.

**:.:.:.:.:**

To: Kim C.  
10:22 P.M.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**Alright. It took me three hours to do, but I sent you the essay to your email address. HAPPY OR NOT, MY HANDS ARE CRAMPING LIKE CRAZY!

To: Jack B.  
10:23 P.M.******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**You did? I didn't get anything yet.

To: Kim C.  
10:23 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Yeah, I sent it to your email. kcrawford1627482 , right?**  


To: Jack B.  
10:25 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************YOU GOT IT WRONG! My email is kcrawford1637482 !**

To: Kim C.  
10:26 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Well, sorry. But you do have a lot of numbers after your name. It's kinda hard to remember them all...**  


To: Jack B.  
10:32 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Whatever. I just got the draft though. It looks good enough; I think it's passable.**  


To: Kim C.  
10:33 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************I can't believe I just did your homework for you, Kim. Wow. But am I forgiven? Please? Please? With nachos and sugary stuff and implausibly expensive StarBucks with cherries and glitter and pink and pom-poms and boy-band posters and ice cream and lipgloss and all that other stuff girls like on top?**  


To: Jack B.  
10:34 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
****I guess so.**

To: Kim C.  
10:34 P.M.  
**I. Am. Forgiven... o - HALO**

To: Jack B.  
10:34 P.M.******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**o - Donut.

To: Kim C.  
10:35 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**Same difference.

To: Jack B.  
10:36 P.M.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**Yeah yeah yeah... Hey, Jack... Now that you're no so freakishly impish and weird and everything... Do you wanna go with me to Grace's party next thursday?

To: Kim C.  
10:36 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************I WILL COME IF DONNA TOBIN IS THERE.**  


To: Jack B.  
10:37 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************...**  


To: Kim C.  
10:37 P.M.  
**Alright, alright. I'll go with you... BEST FRIEND HANDSHAKE!**

To: Jack B.  
10:39 P.M.******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**jesus. oh lord. you're even more girly and preppy than Kelsey during a mani-pedi session...

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************:.:.:.:.:**

To: Grace W.  
10:45 P.M.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************So. I just asked Jack 2 go to ur party with me.**

To: Kim C.  
10:45 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
****And? What's the whole point of this?**  


To: Grace W.  
10:45 P.M.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************BECAUSE THE FIRST THING HE ASKED WAS IF DONNA WAS GOING TO BE THERE. DONNA. DONNA COW-THUNDERTHIGHS TOBIN. HE ASKED IF SHE WOULD BE THERE. HER.**

To: Kim C.  
10:46 P.M.  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************maybe u should calm down. besides, no one would be crazy enough to invite to their party unless they wanted a violation for too much of too little shown...**_that girl _

To: Grace W.  
10:47 P.M.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************And then he said, "BEST FRIEND HANDSHAKE"! what? u'd figure that after i asked him to come to a party with me, he wouldnt say "friend handshake" right after... -_-**

To: Kim C.  
10:47 P.M.**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
****Soo... Are you pissed becuz of donna or becuz of the friend handshake?**

To: Grace W.  
10:48 P.M.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************I dunno. First. Last. Both.**

To: Kim C.  
10:49 P.M.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************GOTTA run! My mom's getting the party decorations for next week. TTYL!**

**:.:.:.:.:**

She sat down with her back to the wall, fiddling idly with the _rigatoni _necklace Jack had made her a few summers back. Not macaroni. Rigatoni.

Besides, it didn't mean anything that rigatoni just happened to be her new favorite type of pasta. That meant absolutely nothing. It just meant that she simply preferred rigatoni over the other kinds; purely her own, personal, unbiased choice.

Jack plopped down next to her, and fussed her hair with the palm of his hand. She squirmed away uncomfortably. In retaliation, she lifted her hand, and, with a quick swipe, pulled at the roots of his hair; causing it to fall in a random disarray. "Hey!" He objected, and quickly fixed his hair using the reflection on the back of the dojo's trophy case. Kim giggled to herself at his vanity.

"I think we all know how largely egotistical, how utterly vain—," she paused for a moment, and just for her own added benefit, said, "how inconceivably obtuse you are."

Jack turned and gave her a measured look, one that hid his expression. "Obtuse? Egotistical; yes. Vain; maybe. But obtuse? Never obtuse. And why should I be called obtuse unless you think that I don't understand some carefully hidden nuance of yours in those long words you string together that you want me so desperately to understand?" She blushed a scarlet red, but he didn't notice. "Why, does someone want me to be more attentative; perhaps a little more... Emotional towards certain people, per say?"

When she didn't say anything, the brunet continued to speak. "I thought not. Jerry is obtuse. Eddie is obtuse. Rudy is obtuse," he shrugged, and made a few gestures in the air with his hands. "Winnie the Pooh is obtuse. But me? I understand everything you're saying; even the times that you don't want me to. The only difference is; I don't show my cards before I know yours."

Jack smiled, and a small dimple near the corner of his mouth winked briefly. "Has the little yellow bear gotten your tongue too? Besides, you didn't really believe that I thought that bracelet you gave me was a friendship bracelet; did you?"

"And I was just kidding about Donna, though. Grace told me about her _cow-ish thunder thighs._ I wonder where that expression came from?"

**:.:.:.:.:**

To: Kim C.  
4:29 P.M.  
**Meet me at phil's after school? ;)**

**:.:.:.:.:**

**A/N:** _So, I hope you guys enjoyed "Obtusely Cowish Thunder Thighs". This was a pretty fun one-shot to write; especially since I got to experiment a bit with some different kinds of writing that I normally don't use._

_Tell me what you think below! Reviews are very greatly appreciated; please, with nachos and sugary stuff and implausibly expensive StarBucks with cherries and glitter and pink and pom-poms and boy-band posters and ice cream and lipgloss on top?**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
**_

_Lots of love!_

_- Alexi :)_


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